Today, the Army Corps of Engineers released its notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to gather “information necessary to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) in connection with Dakota Access, LLC’s request to grant an easement to cross Lake Oahe, which is on the Missouri River.”

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and water protectors have long pressed for the Environmental Impact Statement to be conducted on the Dakota Access Pipeline and in particular its impact where it would cross the Lake Oahe crossing.

Attorneys representing the Dakota Access Pipeline had filed a motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) asking the Court to block the publication of the announcement about the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in the federal register.

The notice opens the public scoping phase and invites interested parties to identify potential issues, concerns, and reasonable alternatives that should be considered in an EIS. The document has a comment period that ends in 33 days. (02/20/2017)